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55 Greed

Ledger hardware wallets compromised by hidden implant, $100M lost

Original title: How a Spy Implant Turned Ledger's Authorized Resellers Into an Attack Vector

Unchained 44:37 0 views on YouTube USDT −0.0% NEXO −1.4%

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Summary

An estimated $100 million or more was drained from Ledger hardware wallets sold through CryptoBilis, an authorized reseller in Southeast Asia. The compromised devices contained a hidden implant that reads the 24‑word seed phrase from the screen and transmits it via an eSIM. Drains were traced to incidents starting on September 8, including a tampered Ledger Flex bought at Singapore's airport and two MediaMarkt devices linked to distributor Aqipa in Europe. Guests Mark Karpelès and Jonty discuss how the implant was discovered, its potential reach, and the implications for self‑custody security, noting Ledger’s mixed signals about device tampering and warranty.

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Key points

  1. An estimated $100 million or more was drained from Ledger hardware wallets sold through CryptoBilis, an authorized reseller in Southeast Asia.
  2. The devices carried a hidden implant that reads the 24‑word seed phrase off the screen and sends it out over an eSIM.
  3. Drains date back to September 8 and include a tampered Ledger Flex bought at Singapore’s airport and two MediaMarkt devices traced to distributor Aqipa in Europe.
  4. Mark Karpelès and Jonty discuss the attack and its impact on self‑custody security.

Questions

How does the hidden implant exfiltrate the seed phrase?
It reads the 24‑word seed phrase displayed on the device screen and transmits it via an eSIM.
When did the Ledger wallet drains begin?
The drains date back to September 8, according to the discussion in the video.

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